


Fallout and Connections

by Cassplay



Category: Wonder Woman (Movies - Jenkins), Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Chinese Food, F/F, WW84 was hella ooc, friends to enemies to friends but also maybe future enemies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:55:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28542918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassplay/pseuds/Cassplay
Summary: Diana goes to visit Barbara a week after the events of WW84, and finds someone else there already.
Relationships: Artemis of Bana Mighdall/Barbara Minerva, Barbara Minerva/Artemis of Bana-Mighdall, Diana (Wonder Woman) & Barbara Minerva
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Fallout and Connections

**Author's Note:**

> Barbara belongs with a strong butch who treats her well

With all the fallout from what had almost been the end of the world of man, Diana had expected to be more pre-occupied with the clean-up. But the more she looked, the less trace of it she seemed to find. In just a week, the world seemed back to normal, or whatever ‘normal’ was in the world of man.

Perhaps it was part of the magic of the wishing stone that events reverted so readily? Like reality from the moment that she had inadvertently brought Steve back had been an illusion. Like a celluloid membrane over the real world, and now that the wishes had all been renounced, it was peeling back to reveal the real picture underneath.

Of course, those at the centre of the catastrophe were affected most. Maxwell Lord was nowhere in the public eye, but she knew that he and his son were safe and sound, still reeling from the past few days. She didn’t understand exactly how he still had the money to go to ground, or what was so ‘interesting’ about the money he had amassed. Something that she may never understand about man’s world.

She turned Steve’s watch over in her hand. It was broken again. There were many things that the Amazons may not understand about man’s world. Whatever the amazons may have said, she couldn’t deny that they’d be right to admonish her for giving up the strength given to them all for something so trivial as a man, especially at the cost of another. She didn’t regret giving up her wish, but if she had just had a bit more time…

Then there’s Barbara. She had given up her wish that she had vowed to never renounce. Diana smiled. There had been something of her kind heart left. Barbara had still been shivering when Diana left the bunker. By cold or electrocution, she hadn’t been sure. The now entirely human Barbara hadn’t spoken to her at the time, or since.

Diana should probably go and see her. The problem was, Diana had no idea where the archaeologist lived. She set down Steve’s watch on its place on her mantle, and she moved over to the phone. Dialling in the number for the Smithsonian, she asked the answering secretary on the other end if Barbara was in. Diana clarified Barbara’s department when the secretary didn’t know her.

“She hasn’t been in for a week, according to this she took a vacation.” The secretary said, reading off the attendance records.

“Alright, can you give me her address?” Diana asked.

“Sure, Miss Prince.” The secretary said, then looked up Barbara’s address.

“Thank you.” Diana said, she put the phone back on the receiver and set off.

Arriving at Barbara’s house half an hour later with Chinese food, Diana felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She put the food down on the front step and turned around. It was early evening, so there wasn’t yet enough darkness to hide, but still knew she was being watched. Looking around, Diana used the back of her hand to knock on Barbara’s door.

Diana waited. she glanced at an upstairs window. The curtain there was swinging slightly. Taking a moment, she concentrated on the wind. Not enough to cause such a disturbance. Someone had been peering out the window at her.

“Barbara?” Diana called up. “Are you in there?”

Diana’s sharp senses picked up some scuffling from the room that the window led to. She picked up the plastic bag of food next to her and turned to the door. The stairs inside creaked, and the door opened. Barbara’s face appearing in the crack. The door was on a chain.

“What do you want?” Barbara asked.

“I just want to talk, Barbara,” Diana said. “I want my friend back.”

“Were we friends?” Barbara scowled, then added, “Because you dropped me like that when your ex came back from the dead.”

“It wasn’t like that.” Diana said, not entirely believing herself.

“Fine.” sighed Barbara and she shut the door again, then reopened it, the chain dangling by the doorframe. “You could probably get through that if you wanted anyway. Come in.”

“I brought Chinese.” Diana said, holding up the bag.

Barbara was slouching like she had been before her Dreamstone wish. She was wrapped in a dressing gown and her hair was dishevelled. Diana allowed herself to be led through to a living room. Barbara sat on the floor at a wooden coffee table, and Diana followed her lead, sitting down and beginning to unpack the food.

There was a tense silence for a few seconds. Yet again, Diana felt that feeling of being watched. She tuned her ears to a little creak in the floorboards while she passed Barbara a pair of wooden chopsticks. The other woman accepted them, and Diana could see her hand shaking slightly.

Diana fished a pen out of her pocket and turned the paper receipt over. She wrote on it and passed the slip, and a container of food over to Barbara. Barbara read it and sighed.

“Yes, but it’s okay,” Barbara said, then raised her voice. “She knows you’re here.”

Diana turned, and a brown-skinned woman with long red hair held up in a ponytail appeared at the top of the stairs. She wore a black band t-shirt and knee-length jeans. The ends were thoroughly tousled.

“So, this is Diana Prince.” The rather muscular woman said, coming down the stairs.

“Yes, hello there.” Diana stood, and shook her hand. That hand was calloused very particularly. They were the same callouses that came with repeated sword usage. “Please join us, Miss…?”

“The name’s Artemis.” She smirked.

“Have we met before, Artemis?” Diana asked.

“I think I’d remember meeting you, Diana.” Artemis said, moving to sit in an armchair beside the coffee table. Did Barbara shoot Artemis a look? Diana sat back down and continued passing out containers.

“So why are you here?” Barbara asked.

“I’m checking in on you, making sure you’re alright after… everything that happened.” Diana said, not wanting to reveal the exact details in front of whoever this guest of Barbara’s was.

“At the bunker?” Barbara said, opening a container of BBQ pork in plum sauce. Diana’s eyes shot to Artemis. Barbara must have seen because she added. “She knows what happened.”

“Are you sure-“ Diana started, but Barbara cut her off.

“You do not have any right to tell me what to do, Diana.” Barbara snapped. She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I just meant that I trust her.”

“It’s okay.” Diana said, her eyes flicked back to Artemis and back. “You haven’t been at work.”

“I temporarily became a cat-person, and I was electrocuted; I was recommended rest and recuperation.” Said Barbara stonily. She took a bite of pork.

“I’m sorry about that.” Diana said.

“And the other shit?” Artemis asked, wiping some honey syrup off her chin. “Calling her at three in the morning to ask her to research some damn crystal, keeping her in the dark about Lord, not even bothering to call before now?”

“Who exactly are you?” Diana asked.

“An archaeologist.” Artemis said, in a tone that was just far enough from threatening.

“How did you meet Barbara?” Diana said, trying to keep her voice even.

“It’s quite impressive to track an artefact’s origins to the Yucatan peninsula in a matter of hours; especially if all you have to go off is a poem in Latin,” Artemis said, taking another bite of honey chicken. “I got a glance at some of the reports, and I gave her a call.”

“She is very talented.” Diana relented, finally taking a bit of some beef. She looked again at Barbara. “I’m afraid it’s not just that which I must apologise for.”

“It’s okay, I was being affected by the stone, you had no choice.” Barbara said.

“No, I was also being affected by the stone.” Diana said, bowing her head. “I don’t think it was just my abilities being taken by the stone, but my values as an amazon. I realise now that I would not have chosen a man, even Steve, over the world for so long.”

“You missed him. Even I can understand that.” Artemis said.

“He died in 1918.” Diana said.

“You didn’t tell me that.” Artemis looked at Barbara.

“Diana didn’t mention that.” Barbara said.

“Okay then, you should have gotten over him 50 years ago at least.” Artemis said.

“Artemis.” Barbara said, and Diana could see that they were sharing a look.

“She’s right. I dwelt on him for too long.” Diana said. She put her chopsticks down on a paper serviette. She sighed and looked up at Barbara. “At some point it became easier to descend into misery than move on. Which is partly why I’m here to check up on you. I didn’t want my kind, compassionate friend Barbara to become a shell of herself.”

“Thank you, Diana.” Barbara said, eyes down. “But I’m not sure I can be that person again.”

“Why do you not think so?”

“My kindness was a shield, I thought if I were nice to everyone, then they wouldn’t hurt me,” Barbara said. “But then I saw that was wrong… you know he tried it again? The morning you asked me to research the stone. I put him in the hospital.”

“Barbara, I didn’t know,” Diana said. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m not, though,” Barbara said, staring at her hands. “I know I should at least feel a little bad for hurting him, but he was going to hurt me much worse.”

“I would have killed him,” Artemis said, remarkably frank. “I checked up on him after Barb told me, as far as I know, he’s not going to go out late drinking again, just in case he tries to feel up the wrong gal.”

‘Barb’. yeah, that was the last piece of confirmation Diana needed.

“We’re all different after what happened.” Diana said, her tone neutral, but she could feel melancholy slipping through in her body language. “We can’t go back to how things were the same as the rest of the world.”

“You were at the eye of the storm, it’s to be expected.” Artemis said.

Diana let the silence hang. A few awkward seconds passed.

“So, what will you do now?” She asked. “Will you be returning to work?”

“I’m considering taking some leave. As much damage as the stone caused, it reminded me of what I missed about fieldwork.” Barbara said.

“The wall that mysteriously appeared in Cairo unearthed some unknown ruins,” Artemis said. “The Cairo Museum asked me to take a look, and I hoped Barb would be able to help me.”

“That’s fantastic, Barbara.” Diana said, smiling at her colleague.

* * *

The conversation didn’t last long after that. Before long, Diana was satisfied that Barbara wasn’t going to do anything drastic. Diana packed up the containers that had contained the food, and she made her way to the door.

“Please, call me when you get to Cairo.” She said. “I want to get to know this new you.”

Barbara nodded, smiling slightly.

* * *

“That went well.” Barbara said, after she had shut the door behind Diana. She looked up at Artemis. “What?”

“She knows some, or guessed at least.” Artemis said quietly, drawing her labrys from behind the door. Seeing the look on Barbara’s face, she added. “Nothing about our trip to Cairo, just about us. Probably has some guesses about me.”

“She knew my mothers, Antiope and Menalippe; she probably recognised me from them.” Artemis said, she shrugged. “Whatever, she’ll probably not figure it out fast enough to stop us.”

“Good.” Barbara nodded, leaning back into Artemis’ arms. She let out a low hum as the strong arms enclosed her figure.

“Are you completely sure you don’t desire revenge?” Artemis asked.

“Yes, and I’m surer after that.” Barbara said. “Diana isn’t responsible for what happened, and she was right about some things.”

“Like what?” Artemis quirked an eyebrow.

“About giving up my wish.” Barbara said. She shrugged. “But I never said I wouldn’t find another way.”

“Well, I don’t know about a wish, but if you’re right about carvings that were uncovered, then the temple of Bast awaits.” Artemis said, kissing the top of Barbara’s head.


End file.
